BackStory show

BackStory

Summary: BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities. There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.

Podcasts:

 207: Charlottesville: Our Town, Our Country | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1691

On this episode of BackStory, Brian, Ed, Joanne, and Nathan share their personal reactions to the violence that happened in Charlottesville in 2017.

 Revisionist Climate: Americans & the Atmosphere | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2727

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Brian and Ed, talk about how Americans have interacted, dealt with, and tried to actively change the North American climate. 

 Are We There Yet?: Americans On Vacation | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2242

As Americans hit the road and take to the skies for summer vacation, Joanne, Ed, and Nathan explore the ways Americans have spent their time off.

 Too Good To Be True?: Myths in American History | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3334

BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities. There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.

 Campus Protests, First Female “Doctor Who” & Voter Suppression | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2166

In this History Grab Bag, Nathan, Ed, Brian and Joanne discuss the history behind stories in the news. They look at the changing nature of student protests on campuses and the reaction to the first time a woman is cast to play “Doctor Who,” the title role in the BBC’s hit sci-fi TV series. They also talk about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case on the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering.

 Skin Deep: Whiteness in America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3136

This week, BackStory looks at whiteness in America by broadcasting segments from podcasts we admire. These stories -- from the podcasts Scene on Radio and What’s Ray Saying along with a segment from BackStory’s archives -- explore what it means to be white in America, and how the concept of whiteness has fundamentally shaped our country.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Hometown History: Local Stories From Across The Country | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4189

This week, BackStory looks at local history by broadcasting segments from podcasts we admire. These stories -- from Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis and San Francisco -- illuminate big themes in American history and tell us something about what makes these places so unique.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 iPhone Turns 10, The Health Care Mess & Political Violence | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3130

In this History Grab Bag, Nathan, Ed, Brian and Joanne discuss the history behind stories in the news. They’ll look at the introduction of the iPhone 10 years ago, and the dimming prospects for the Senate Republicans’ health care plan. They also welcome back an old friend of the show, who talks to Joanne about two recent incidents of political violence. Plus, BackStory celebrates its 200th show this week with a few favorite pieces from the archives and footnotes!

 Crowning Glory: A History of Hair in America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3112

From Katy Perry’s new pixie to cut to Lebron James going bald - hair (or the lack of) is in the headlines a lot recently. On this episode, Brian, Joanne and Nathan explore some of the many meanings Americans have attached to hair - as a marker of personal identity, a living connection to distant loved ones, and even as the root of business empire. 

 Contested Landscape: The Battle over Confederate Monuments | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2720

Communities from New Orleans to Charlottesville, Virginia have been debating the presence of Confederate monuments. On this episode of BackStory, Ed, Nathan and Brian discuss when and why many of the nation’s Confederate statues were erected, and what they stood for.  They’ll examine the many meanings of the Confederate flag and hear a Civil War re-enactor take a closer look at his Southern heritage.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Prying Eyes: Privacy in America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3212

Is privacy a guaranteed American right? Or is it just continually under threat? On this episode, Joanne, Ed and Nathan explore the places where the private and the public collide. We’ll look at voting in the 19th century, surveillance of gay employees in the federal government, the newsworthiness of your private life, and find out if there was ever a golden age of privacy in America. Image credit: The Right to Privacy by Unarmed Civilian via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) 

 Body Politics, JFK at 100 and African American Memorials | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2093

In this episode of BackStory, Brian’s off, but Joanne, Ed, and Nathan are holding it down and talking about the history behind items in this week’s news. They’ll discuss the art of the Presidential Handshake, John F. Kennedy’s 100th birthday and public monuments of African Americans.

 Call To Arms: Enlistment In America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2637

BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities. There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.

 National Lampoon: A History of American Satire | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2046

The election of Donald Trump has been a boon to political satirists.  Saturday Night Live is enjoying its highest ratings in 20 years, andThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert is now the most successful late night program on TV.  Joanne, Ed and Brian look at the long history of political satire in America - how Mark Twain became the country’s most famous satirist by mostly sticking to safe subjects, a look at the 1987 Supreme Court case that made political satire protected speech, and talk to the star and director of “Ask a Slave”, the satirical web series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 The Habit: Opioid Addiction in America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2509

Opioid addiction is a national epidemic. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, "drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States." In this episode, Nathan, Ed and Brian look at America's long history with opioids - like opium, morphine and heroin. They’ll discuss how late 19th century doctors spurred the nation’s first addiction crisis and how race and class have shaped our perception of addicts and addiction.  

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